Inside the kitchen, the owners of Ashay’s Pizza in Cy-Fair want to create fresh pies with natural ingredients. Outside of it, they said they are looking to accomplish more with education and charity. Ashay’s, which opened in late August, serves custom pizzas for delivery and takeout as well as salad, chicken wings, garlic bread and dessert. Each pizza is made with handmade dough, natural shredded cheese and basil grown by owner Krishna Patel’s family. No stranger to the pizza business, Patel and his family owned a pizza place near Houston’s Galleria Mall prior to opening Ashay’s. Patel said he decided to close the old location to move back to Cy-Fair for his son Ashay Paik-Patel. “We had [the previous location] for about 10 years at the time, and when Ashay was starting to get to be school age, we knew we needed to stay in the Cy-Fair school district,” Patel said. “So we sold that location and moved back to Cypress.” Patel said he runs the restaurant as a way to give back to local schools while also providing a good product for Cy-Fair residents. Ashay’s offers free pizzas for teachers to use in the classroom at Birkes and Woodard elementary schools. Patel said he has plans to expand to more schools over time. “It’s to do right by our neighbors and give them the best possible pizza for a low price. There’s no gimmick, just pizza. The second part of our mission is to do right by our kids. That means to do everything possible to work with the community and schools,” he said. Customers can choose their own crust, sauce and toppings or choose from a menu that includes options, such as the straight veggie pizza or Ashay’s Hawaiian pizza. Patel said his bottom line with Ashay’s is to give quality pizza to the community. “I’m not doing this for the money,” he said. “We support the community. ... We’re not looking for anything. We want to give something.”
16044 West Road, Houston 832-674-8769 www.ashayspizza.com Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily